St. Pancras Station where we boarded the Channel Tunnel Train

 

 

 

Chartres Cathedral--the most peaceful and beautiful place

Saturday, September 28^th, 2013

You know what’s really nice?  Looking out your window and seeing Paris.

We had a great time traveling by train out to Chartres this morning.  Chartres Cathedral is the oldest Druidic site and the oldest cathedral in France.  This cathedral is supposedly built by the Knights Templar who took an oath to Mary Magdalene.  More than any other cathedral, this one honors her.  The cathedral’s history dates back to the 4^th century and was built over an ancient Druid site.  The present cathedral was built starting in 1145 and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194.  Chartres has been described as the alchemical crucible for the transformation of humanity.  The encoded art comes from the 12^th century.  All of Chartres is telling stories, especially in the stained glass.   

Chartres also has housed the Sancta Camisa since 876.  This is the tunic of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was said to have protected the church from total destruction during the fire.  It was given to the cathedral by Charlemagne who received it as a gift during a trip to Jerusalem. 

All of the stained glass windows are originals and this is mainly what I came to revisit.  These windows are amazing.  No where else in the world is the color of blue the same.  The color cannot be replicated no matter how much they try.  The Mary Magdalene window showing her steeping of a boat and the Blue Virgin window (Our Lady of the Beautiful Window) are astoundingly beautiful.  To read the Mary Magdalene window, you start in the bottom left corner and read from Lefttot Right. It shows Mary Magdalene anointing Jesus’s feet with oil, her with a book, her on a boat to France.  The central diamond shows St. Maximin Church in Provence and the final window shows the earthly death of Mary Magdalene with mourners including Maximinus, her great companion.  The final panel at the top is Jesus in heaven awaiting the soul of Mary Magdalene, carried by angels.   

I also came to see the labyrinth again.  It is 21 feet in radius.  Sunlight shines through a particular window on sunny days and hits in the center of the labyrinth’s rose center.  The bronze plaque that used to be in the center was taken up to help make cannons for the French revolution.  Interestingly, the circumference of the labyrinth is 131 feet, almost exactly the same size as the West Rose window, and it’s the same distance from the west entrance as the West Rose is from the floor—so if the west wall fell inward, the rose would land directly on the Labyrinth.

The cathedral itself is so grand, even more so now since they’ve begun cleaning centuries of candle smoke pollution off the pillars and walls and statues, revealing details not seen in many, many years.  The Cathedral is 12 stories high and nowhere in it is a depiction of Jesus on a cross—that was not the message of Jesus, the builders believed.  There are two Madonnas represented here—the Blessed Virgin Mary and the divine greatness of Mary Magdalene. 

Outside there are many statues with coded meanings, buttresses, another labyrinth, and beautiful workmanship. 

Inside behind the locked doors are stairs leading to the St. Piat Chapel where in the left window in the first bay is a stained glass window showing Mary Magdalene being lifted by angels and below is a Virgin & Child.  It also shows many towers, a symbol of Mary Magdalene. 

The 21,000 sq. ft. cathedral has 4000 statues, 9 sculpted gates, 2600 square meters of stained glass, 5000 figures, & 170 stained glass windows.

One source says that St. Peter became the Patron Saint of Chartres because he preferred to preach in the famous Druidic rock temple here known as The Grotte des Druides. 

We did a bit of shopping and had lunch at Le Serpente, right across from Chartres Cathedral.  Then we returned to the Cathedral and just sat in the peacefulness and beauty until it was time to return to Paris on the train.  I sat with my feet in the center of the labyrinth for most of that time.  We made a stop for dinner at Piazitalia, right across from the hotel, and had a delicious Italian meal complete with a glass of Lambrusco and Pannacotta.  We returned to the hotel with promises to get some sleep and sleep late. 

My personal photographer, Colin, took details of some of the windows and I'll publish those when I get a chance to upload them.

 

 

A lighthouse with no water in sight:

 

Pretty house along our way on the train: 

Pilgrim Marker in the pavement in Chartres:

Expert Archaeologists Margaret & Colin Fox have found the ultimate "find" that we've searched all over Scotland & England for...

 

 ...Excalibur!:

 

Just as we came into view of the Cathedral, the bells began to chime:

 

 

 

 

Chartres Cathedral:

 

 

Middle guy:  "Well, hello!  Would you like to visit the cathedral? The charge is only 5 Euros." 

Guy on left: "Now wait a minute, you know the cathedral is free." 

Guy on the right:  "I DO wish you guys would stop tormenting the visitors."

 

Beautiful stained glass and soaring arches:

 

Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere:

 

 

 

St. Piat Chapel:

 

 

Only a tiny bit of stained glass visible from door that is ajar:

 

North Rose window--showing the Glorification of the Virgin & Child in the center.  It is mostly glass:

 

 

On the Choir Screen were what looked in shadow to be tiny Eiffel Towers:

 

Sancta Camisa:

 

Holy Grail???

Our Lady of the Pillar:

 

Showing what she looks like before and after restoration:

 

South Rose window--Glorification of Christ:

 

This shows some of the restoration of the stone and marble:

 

First known depiction of a rainbow:

The Labyrinth:

West Rose window--lots of stone.  It shows the Last Judgment:

 

The Lancet windows underneath show The Genealogy of Jesus on the Right & the Passion story on the left--in #11 Mary Magdalene is telling the disciples of Jesus's Resurrection:

 

 

In the Mary Magdalene window, the scene showing her arriving by boat in Southern France:

First building on the right is Le Serpentre, where we had lunch:

 

Beers come in Small, Large, & SERIOUS!

Three sizes of pewter mugs--tiniest was so cute:

 

 

St. Piat Chapel from outside:

The Mary Magdalene window in the St. Piat Chapel from outside:

 

Labyrinth behind cathedral:

Glass Hallway--inside are steps to the St. Piat Chapel:

 

Back again?  Do you know the secret word?  You may pass:

 

Chartres Labyrinth Central Rose:

Beautiful building in Chartres:

 

Interesting building on the train ride home:

Poster showing Chartres Cathedral during its light show when it is colored like in original times: